Memes were once the internet’s favourite inside jokes. A funny image, a caption, and suddenly half the internet was laughing. Short, punchy, and endlessly adaptable, memes were the perfect digital snack, cheap to produce, easy to remix, and ridiculously shareable.
The woman yelling at the cat, Two Buttons guy, Sad Pablo Escobar and the mischievous grin of the Ggirl are the classics or rather the OG templates. In the beginning, memes mostly existed to make people chuckle, or at least earn a respectable “ROFL” in the comments section. But somewhere along the way, the internet did what it does: it levelled up.
Today, memes are not just jokes. They are opinions. They are arguments. Sometimes, they are propaganda.
The Meme Glow-Up
Memes have quietly become one of the most powerful forms of online communication. With a single image and a few words, people can express support, mock opponents, persuade audiences, or subtly push an agenda. Memes went from being internet jokes to something closer to information grenades.
The templates may still look familiar, but the context has definitely changed. Dark humour now dominates meme culture. Sarcasm is sharper. The messages are often political, ideological, or deliberately provocative. This shift began to gather momentum in the early 2010s. A notable time was the 2016 United States presidential elections. Memes entered the arena of serious political strategy.
Online communities such as 4chan and the r/The_Donald subreddit actively used memes to support Donald Trump during the campaign. Participants later referred to this effort as “The Great Meme War” — a tongue-in-cheek name for what they believed was a digital campaign that influenced online narratives.
Journalist Ben Schreckinger described it as a group of anonymous internet users who conquered online spaces for Trump and hoped to push similar politics in Europe. Whether exaggerated or not, the idea stuck: memes could shape political conversations.
The trend later spiralled into the Russian–Ukrainian war, the 2024 US presidential election, and has now reached the Israel–Iran conflict. The internet is flooded with memes related to Donald Trump’s moves and responses, and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death. And as only memes could, they also dragged Kim Jong Un, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, into a conflict he is not involved in because, well, the internet loves a good visual punchline.
Welcome to Memetic Warfare
The term memetic warfare sounds like something from a sci-fi novel, but it is surprisingly simple. It refers to the strategic use of ideas, images, or behaviours, usually in the form of memes, to influence public opinion. Instead of bombs or missiles, the weapons are jokes, visuals, and viral content.
And unlike traditional propaganda, memes rarely look like propaganda. That is their greatest strength. They appear casual, organic, and humorous. You laugh, you share, and before you know it, the message travels further than any carefully crafted speech ever could.
How Memes Quietly Influence People
Memetic warfare usually works through a few common tactics.
∙ Cultural Infiltration
Memes are designed to look like they emerged naturally from internet culture. In reality, some are created deliberately to promote a particular ideology or viewpoint.
∙ Disinformation and Manipulation
A simple image with a catchy caption can spread misleading information faster than a detailed article ever could.
Memes often appear spontaneous. In reality, some are deliberately crafted to subtly push a specific ideology or viewpoint while blending into everyday online humour.
They can also function as tools for disinformation and manipulation. A striking image paired with a sharp caption can spread misleading or oversimplified ideas far more quickly than detailed articles or discussions.
Memes frequently deepen social polarisation as well. By tapping into existing divisions — political, religious, generational, or cultural — they can amplify disagreements and reinforce group identities.
Their effectiveness largely hinges on viral psychology. Memes are simple, emotional, and easy to consume, often triggering reactions such as humour, anger, curiosity, or outrage. These emotions encourage rapid sharing across social media.
Over time, a snowball effect can take place. What begins as an ironic or humorous joke may gradually evolve into a recognisable symbol, shaping online narratives and, in some cases, influencing public opinion.
From Media Theory to Meme Culture
Long before memes dominated timelines, media scholars Noam Chomsky and Edward S Herman introduced the concept of Manufacturing Consent in 1988. (This might sound a bit academic, but I promise it will make sense in a second.) Their theory suggested that mass media often shape public opinion in ways that support powerful institutions. Traditional media, including newspapers, TV and advertising, act as filters that shape how people understand events.
At the time, memes were obviously not part of the equation. The internet itself was barely a thing. Fast-forward to today, and memes have become a new layer in the information ecosystem. Instead of going through long-form articles or videos, many people understand complex political ideas through a single meme. It is quicker, easier, and much more entertaining. Thus, today, in many ways, memes perform a similar function, subtly framing narratives and nudging audiences towards particular viewpoints. The meme essentially does the thinking for you.
The Meme Economy of Attention
For modern digital media outlets, memes are irresistible. They attract clicks, engagement, and shares far more easily than dense news analysis. This does not mean every meme is part of a grand propaganda campaign. Most are still harmless fun.
But the shift is undeniable: memes are now part of how information spreads. They simplify complex issues into digestible bites. They shape narratives. And sometimes they influence how people feel about events before they have even read the news.
So, should we stop laughing at memes? Not necessarily.
Memes are still one of the internet’s most creative forms of expression. They are funny, relatable, and often brilliantly witty. But it might be worth remembering that behind the humour, memes can also carry ideas — sometimes subtle, sometimes not so subtle. In a world filled with anxiety about inflation, unemployment, artificial intelligence, and global conflicts, there will always be a meme ready to summarise the situation in one punchline. It might make you laugh. It might make you think. And occasionally, it might even nudge you towards taking a side.
